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Brain Circuits
Apply Intelligence of the Heart to hard decisions
Leaders often face decisions without clear solutions. Dorotea Brandin shows how Buddhist-inspired thinking can help resolve these difficult dilemmas.
What is Intelligence of the Heart?
Rooted in Buddhist philosophy, Intelligence of the Heart (IoH) is a practical approach to communication at work, built on three interdependent values expressed through behavior: universal compassion, systemic wisdom, and ethical responsibility. None is sufficient on its own. Wisdom without compassion and responsibility can become detached analysis; compassion without wisdom and responsibility can overlook wider consequences; responsibility without wisdom and compassion can lose sight of context and human impact.Â
How is IoH different from emotional intelligence?
Popularized by Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence (EI) helps us recognize and regulate our own emotions and understand and influence those of others. EI helps us understand what is happening within and around us; IoH invites us to widen the lens. They complement and strengthen each other.
Applying IoH in practice
Imagine a CEO facing an attractive takeover offer. After weighing the facts, consulting experts, and listening to colleagues, something still doesn’t sit right. The decision could significantly affect everyone in the company and beyond. The CEO notices their stiff shoulders and tense neck, and senses the knot in their stomach. Rather than dismissing these signals, the CEO can pause, take care of their emotions (EI), and widen the inquiry through IoH.Â
A propelling question with an integrated IoH constraint
The strategic-inquiry technique described in A Beautiful Constraint combines a bold ambition with a significant constraint to challenge routine thinking and open new possibilities. What if the constraint were the three interdependent dimensions of IoH, challenging not the ambition itself but how we pursue it? This could be formulated in this question:
How can we achieve this bold ambition while taking full account of its wider consequences for people and systems, and ensuring that we can stand behind our decisions ethically?
Key takeaway
Applying IoH to a propelling question helps us explore the discomfort that can accompany difficult decisions, widen our perspective, and open a totally different conversation. What initially doesn’t sit right may point us towards new possibilities and solutions we can support without cognitive dissonance.
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